Some evacuees say they were never notified that flames were approaching

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Updated: 7:51 PM PDT Aug 5, 2018

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WEBVTT MIKE? MIKE: I CAN TELL YOU MCCLELLAN IS A REAL HUB OF ACTIVITY. YOU CAN SEE THIS AIR TANKER GETTING READY TO TAKE OFF. IT IS RELOADING NOW. THEY TELL US THERE WERE 65 FLIGHTS THAT CAME IN ABOUT YESTERDAY TO RELOAD, DUMPING SOME 347,000 GALLONS OF FLAME RETARDANT ON WILDFIRES HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY. MORE THAN FIVE DOZEN FIGHTS TAKING OFF -- FLIGHTS TAKING OFF AND LANDING AT THE RELOAD PARK WHICH HAS ATTRACTED ITS OWN PROUD OF ONLOOKERS. >> THEY ARE DOING THEIR JOB AND IS UNFORTUNATELY HAVE NOT HAD A BREAK. MIKE: THERE IS LITTLE TIME WHEN CALIFORNIA IS BATTLING 18 WILDFIRES. >> WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THEM GROWING EXPONENTIALLY LARGER. MIKE: 15,000 FIRE CREWS ARE BATTLING TO BUILD CONTAINMENT LINES AROUND THE WILDFIRES, BUT THE EXTREME WEATHER PATTERNS AND UNPREDICTABLE WIND HAS CAUSED SOME TO SAY CALIFORNIA NEEDS A BETTER EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM. IT IS A PROBLEM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS AWARE OF. >> THEY DON’T COME AUTOMATICALLY LIKE>> AMBER ALERT. MIKE: PEOPLE LIVING IN ACTIVE FIRE ZONES HAVE TO SIGN UP, AND GOVERNOR BROWN ON HIS COMMENTS YESTERDAY SAY CALIFORNIANS MAY HAVE TO BECOME MORE SELF-RELIANT. >> NEIGHBORS HAVE A RULE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ALL JUST DEPENDENCE ON GOVERNMENT. WE ARE FREE AMERICAN CITIZENS AND WE TAKE ACTION. MIKE: CALIFORNIA IS DEPLOYING EVERY AVAILABLE RESOURCE TO REPRESS THE WILDFIRES SWEEPING THE STATE. >> I WISH WE COULD GET THEM UNDER CONTROL. MIKE: IN MACLELLAN, WE ARE SEEING THEM LEAVE EVERY 20 MINUTES OR SO. WE CAN EXPECT A LOT MORE OF THIS ACTIVITY IN THE WEEK AHEAD WHEN TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES ARE COMING OUR WAY.

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Emergency notification system scrutinized amid deadly wildfires

Some evacuees say they were never notified that flames were approaching

“The size of it and the force that it ran with, and of course, the winds that were measured in excess of 143 mph, that is a rare occurrence,” Sanchez said. “That is something that is cause for concern."

Erratic winds are a big concern for emergency crews and for Gov. Jerry Brown, who addressed the challenge of unpredictable fire behavior on Saturday in a briefing near the Carr Fire in Shasta County.

“Here we just had a fire tornado, so things are going to happen and we don't know everything,” Brown said.

He added that wildfires are forcing California to re-examine the way in which we manage forests and where homes are built.

Meanwhile, at McClellan, the constant hum of flights has attracted its own crowd of onlookers, who are eager to watch emergency crews in action.

“They're doing their jobs and it's unfortunate that they have not had a break,” said spectator Diane Richards.

There’s little time for breaks when California is battling so many blazes.

“We are starting to see them grow exponentially larger over a shorter period of time,” Sanchez said.